Stackable product packaging

ABSTRACT

A preferred embodiment stackable product packaging includes a first bottle having a base portion and a bottom portion forming a housing. The housing forms a cavity, and the bottom portion forms an opening allowing access to the cavity. The housing and the cavity are configured and arranged to receive and house an upper portion of a second bottle.

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/403,734, filed Aug. 14, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a stackable product packaging, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a stackable spray bottle product packaging.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Various types of products are commonly packaged and sold in spray bottles for consumer use. However, packaging products in spray bottles is not very economical because the spray bottles take up space during shipping and even as the product is displayed in stores. In addition, product dispensers that dilute concentrated products as the products are dispensed into bottles or containers typically utilize new spray bottles or containers each time a consumer buys a product. This not only increases material waste but does not reduce shipping cost or space required to display the bottles or containers. Therefore, it is desirable to package and sell products in spray bottles that reduce shipping cost, shelf space, and material waste.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A method of filling a stackable product packaging includes taking a bottle from a stacked arrangement of bottles. The stacked arrangement of bottles includes at least two bottles nested upon one another. A bag configured and arranged to fit within a cavity of the bottle and to operatively connect to the bottle is provided. The bag is filled with a product, and a dispensing head is attached to the bottle, wherein the dispensing head is in fluid communication with the bag.

[0007] A stackable product packaging includes a first bottle having a housing forming a cavity, and the housing forms an opening allowing access to the cavity. The housing and the cavity are configured and arranged to house an upper portion of a second bottle, and the second bottle extends through the opening into the cavity.

[0008] A stacked arrangement of a product packaging includes a first bottle having a first base portion and a bottom portion. The first base portion and the bottom portion form a cavity, and the bottom portion forms an opening allowing access to said cavity. A second bottle has a neck and a second base portion. The neck and a portion of the second base portion are housed by the first base portion and the bottom portion within the cavity of the first bottle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a side view of a product packaging constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0010]FIG. 2 shows a top portion of the product packaging shown in FIG. 1 with a dispensing head exploded from a bottle;

[0011]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the product packaging shown in FIG. 1;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a side view of a stack of bottles for use with the product packaging shown in FIG. 1; and

[0013]FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of a bottle constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014] An embodiment of a stackable product packaging constructed according to the principles of the present invention is designated by the numeral 100 in FIG. 1.

[0015] The present invention may be used with self-serve consumer product dispensers that provide consumers with refillable containers such as this when purchasing various ready-to-use products. The products may be in a concentrated form and then diluted as the products are dispensed into the product packaging, and the product packaging can be available for each purchase or the product packaging can be reused by the consumer. The present invention provides product packaging that will reduce shipping cost, shelf space, and material waste.

[0016] The product packaging 100 includes a bottle 101, a product bag 115, and a dispensing head 122 as shown in FIG. 1. In the preferred embodiment, the dispensing head 122 is a spray head. The product packaging 100 resembles spray bottles typically used to dispense various products. The bottle 101 includes a top portion 102 forming an opening 103, a neck 104, a base portion 106, and a bottom portion 107 forming an opening 108. The top portion 102 and the neck 104 are relatively narrow in length in comparison with the base portion 106 and the bottom portion 107. The top portion 102 may provide an attachment surface for the product bag 115 and the dispensing head 122, and the attachment surface may include threads 111. The top portion 102 provides the edge for the opening 103 thereby forming the opening 103. A first side 109 of the base portion 106 angles outward and then extends downward from the neck 104 and a second side 110 of the base portion 106 extends downward from the opposite side of the neck 104 parallel with the downward extending portion of the first side 109. The neck 104 includes grip members 104 a proximate the first side 109 to aid in gripping the bottle 101 while dispensing the product from the product packaging 100. The bottom portion 107 is proximate the end of the base portion 106 opposite the neck 104, and the bottom portion 107 provides the edge for the opening 108. In other words, the bottom portion 107 forms the opening 108.

[0017] The bottle 101 forms a cavity 105 in which the product bag 115 is placed. The opening 103 allows access into the cavity 105 from the top portion 102 of the bottle 101 and the opening 108 allows access into the cavity 105 from the bottom portion 107 of the bottle 101. In other words, the cavity 105 extends from the top portion 102, through the neck 104 and the base portion 106, and to the bottom portion 107. The base portion 106 and the bottom portion 107 form a housing or shell, which forms part of cavity 105, to house a majority of the product bag 115. The bottom portion 107 provides a surface onto which the product packaging 100 may be placed to place the product packaging 100 in an upright position. In addition, the bottom portion 107 and the cavity 105 are configured and arranged to house a neck and a portion of a base portion of a second bottle. This stacked arrangement of bottles 101 is shown in FIG. 4. The bottles 101 are generally stackable like STYROFOAM® cups and construction cones are stacked.

[0018] The bottle 101 is made of a flexible type of plastic or other flexible material known in the art that will accommodate another bottle 101 and provide a stable housing to place the product packaging 100 in an upright position. The preferred embodiment utilizes high density polyethylene, but other suitable materials known in the art may be used.

[0019] Generally, the bottom surface has been removed from a traditional type spray bottle to create bottle 101 and a bag 115 has been inserted to hold the product within the bottle 101. The bag 115 is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. The bag 115 includes a top 116, a bottom 117, and a cavity 118 formed by side walls. The cavity 118 is accessible through an opening in the top 116, and product is contained within the cavity 118. The bag 115 is configured and arranged to fit within the cavity 105 of the bottle 101 and to operatively connect to the bottle 101. In the preferred embodiment, the bag 115 is operatively connected to the top portion 102 of the bottle 101. The bag 115 may be heat sealed to the top portion 102 of the bottle 101 or the bag 115 may be heat sealed onto a fitment assembly, which operatively connects to the top portion 102 of the bottle 101 (not shown). The fitment assembly would seal itself, and a probe in a product dispenser would open the fitment assembly during filling of the bag with product and a nozzle would also open the fitment assembly to dispense the product from the bag. A connector assembly or fitment assembly such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,045, which is incorporated by reference herein, could be used to connect the bottle and the nozzle to the product bag. Alternatively, a bag that can roll out into the bottle 101 as the bag is filled could also be used, and the top of the bag could operatively connect to the top of the bottle by attachment means known in the art.

[0020] The bag 115 may be operatively connected to the bottle 101 as shown in FIG. 2. As the bottles 101 are nested in the stacked arrangement, if the bags 115 are already operatively connected to the bottle 101, the bags 115 may be directed toward the second side 110 of the bottles 101 as to not interfere with the bottles 101 nested within one another as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the bags 115 may be attached to the bottle 101 after a bottle 101 is taken from the stacked arrangement. With bags that releasably connect to the bottle, the bag 115 may then be replaced if the bag 115 is worn out or is torn. The bag 115 is preferably made of high density polyethylene, but any suitable material known in the art may be used.

[0021] The dispensing head 122 includes an attachment member 123, which is configured and arranged to engage the top portion 102 of the bottle 101. As shown in FIG. 2, the attachment member 123 has threads (not shown) that mate with the threads 111 of the top portion 102 of the bottle 101. The preferred embodiment dispensing head 122 is a spray head, but other suitable dispensing heads known in the art could be used. A tube member 124 is in fluid communication with a spray nozzle 126, and a trigger 125 pumps product through the tube member 124 and out of the spray nozzle 126, as is well known in the art. The tube member 124 is also in fluid communication with the cavity 118 of the bag 115. Therefore, product contained within the cavity 118 of the bag 115 is drawn into the tube member 124 and out of the spray nozzle 126 when the trigger 125 is activated.

[0022] In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, a bottle 201 includes a first shell 201 a and a second shell 201 b, which are each approximately one half of the bottle 201 and together form the bottle 201. A hinge 212 interconnects the first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b along a second side 210 of the bottle 201. The bottle 201 also includes a top 202 having an opening 203, a neck 204, a base portion 206, and a bottom 207. The first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b together form these components of the bottle 201. In other words, the first shell 201 a includes a top 202 a having an opening 203 a, a neck 204 a, a base portion 206 a, and a bottom 207 a while the second shell 201 b includes a top 202 b having an opening 203 b, a neck 204 b, a base portion 206 b, and a bottom 207 b. The neck 204, formed by neck 204 a and neck 204 b, may provide an attachment surface for a product bag and/or a dispensing head, and the attachment surface may include threads 211. A first side 209 a and 209 b of the base portions 206 a and 206 b angles outward and then extends downward from the necks 204 a and 204 b. The second side 210 of the base portions 206 a and 206 b extends downward from the opposite side of the necks 204 a and 204 b parallel with the downward extending portion of the first side 209. The neck 204 a, the first side 209 a, and the bottom 207 a include a first edge 213 a and the neck 204 b, the first side 209 b, and the bottom 207 b include a second edge 213 b. When the first edge 213 a and the second edge 213 b contact one another, the neck 204, the first side 209, and the bottom 207 are complete. The necks 204 a and 204 b may alternatively be elongated and include grip members (not shown) proximate the first sides 209 a and 209 b to aid in gripping the bottle 201 while dispensing the product.

[0023] The bottle 201 forms a cavity 205 in which a product bag is placed. The first shell 201 a includes cavity 205 a and the second shell 201 b includes cavity 205 b. The opening 203 allows access into the cavity 205 from the top 202 of the bottle 201. In other words, the cavity 205 extends from the top 202, through the neck 204, and into the base portion 206. The base portion 206 houses a majority of the product bag and the bottom 207 provides a surface onto which the product packaging may be placed to place the product packaging in an upright position. In addition, the cavity 205 is configured and arranged to accept another bottle 201 when the first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b are in an open position.

[0024] The hinge 212 allows the bottle 201 to be placed in an open position and a closed position. The open position occurs when the edges 213 a and 213 b of the first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b are not in full contact with one another, as shown in FIG. 5. The shells 201 a and 201 b may be arranged at variable angles to one another when the bottle 201 is in the open position. However, it is preferable to have the shells 201 a and 201 b relatively flat and side by side when placed on a surface. The closed position occurs when the edges 213 a and 213 b of the first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b are in full contact with one another thereby forming the cavity 205. The bottle 201 is held in the closed position by connecting a dispensing head (not shown) to the neck 204. The bottles 201 are stackable when in the open position by placing one bottle 201 within the open cavities 205 a and 205 b of another bottle 201. A bag is inserted into the open cavities 205 a and 205 b of the bottle 201 when the bottle 201 is in the open position, and the bag is contained within the cavity 205 when the bottle 201 is in the closed position.

[0025] With this embodiment, a self-sealing bag is filled with product without any support from the bottle 201. The product filled bag is then inserted into the open cavity 205 of the first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b, which are then closed together around the bag. The dispensing head is then connected to the neck 204 to lock and first shell 201 a and the second shell 201 b together. The bottle provides for better control of the product while the product is being dispensed. The bag can be filled with product independent of the bottle and the bottle can be provided later. Therefore, the bottle can be reused without having to bring the bottle along to the store when filling a product bag. In addition, different products may be used with one bottle by simply replacing the product bag inside the bottle. This helps prevent cross-contamination of different products.

[0026] It is recognized that other shapes and designs of bottles may be used as long as the stackable/nestable feature of the bottles remains. In saving space for packing, shipping, and displaying the bottles, the ratio of stackable bottles to unstackable bottles is preferably approximately 2:6. The preferred embodiment product packaging of the present invention is similar to the traditional spray bottles in that the product packaging includes a dispensing head and rigid sides that allow it to stand in an upright position and be used in the traditional manner.

[0027] In operation, a bottle is taken from a stacked arrangement of bottles, such as the bottle 101 shown in FIG. 4 or as the bottle 201 could be stacked when in an open position. However, should only one bottle remain of the stacked bottles, the remaining bottle is obviously taken for use. A bag is provided and is filled with product. If the bag is already operatively connected to the bottle, the dispensing head is then attached and the product packaging is ready for use. If the bag is not already operatively connected to the bottle, the bag may either be connected to the bottle either before or after the bag is filled with product. Then, the dispensing head is attached and the product packaging is ready for use.

[0028] The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended. 

We claim:
 1. A method of filling a stackable product packaging, comprising: taking a bottle from a stacked arrangement of bottles, said stacked arrangement of bottles including at least two bottles nested upon one another; providing a bag configured and arranged to fit within a cavity of said bottle and to operatively connect to said bottle; filling said bag with a product; and attaching a dispensing head to said bottle, wherein said dispensing head is in fluid communication with said bag.
 2. The method of claim 1, said bag being operatively connected to said bottle.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising operatively connecting said bag to said bottle after said bag is filled with product.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising closing said bottle about said bag and securing said bottle in a closed position as said dispensing head is attached to said bottle.
 5. A stackable product packaging, comprising: a first bottle having a housing forming a cavity, said housing forming an opening allowing access to said cavity, said housing and said cavity being configured and arranged to house an upper portion of a second bottle, said second bottle extending through said opening into said cavity.
 6. The stackable product packaging of claim 5, further comprising a bag configured and arranged to fit within said cavity of said first bottle and to operatively connect to said first bottle.
 7. The stackable product packaging of claim 6, further comprising a top of said first bottle, wherein said bag is operatively connected to said top.
 8. The stackable product packaging of claim 7, further comprising a dispensing head configured and arranged to operatively connect to said top of said first bottle, said dispensing head being in fluid communication with said bag when operatively connected to said first bottle.
 9. A stacked arrangement of a product packaging, comprising: a first bottle having a first base portion and a bottom portion, said first base portion and said bottom portion forming a cavity, said bottom portion forming an opening allowing access to said cavity; and a second bottle having a neck and a second base portion, said neck and a portion of said second base portion being housed by said first base portion and said bottom portion within said cavity of said first bottle.
 9. The stacked arrangement of claim 8, further comprising a top of said first bottle and a bag configured and arranged to fit within said cavity of said first bottle and to operatively connect to said top of said first bottle.
 10. The stacked arrangement of claim 9, further comprising a dispensing head configured and arranged to operatively connect to said top of said first bottle, said dispensing head being in fluid communication with said bag when operatively connected to said first bottle. 